UK launches inquiry into vehicle type approval after VW scandal

LONDON, Nov 16 (Reuters) - Britain is to launch an inquiry
into the system used to approve vehicles, including their
emissions levels, in the wake of the diesel engines scandal
engulfing Volkswagen.

Parliament's transport committee will seek evidence on the
effectiveness of current arrangements, which involve the testing
of aspects such as performance, noise and emissions by national
agencies to see if they meet detailed EU standards.

The Vehicle Certification Authority (VCA) is responsible in
Britain for approving vehicles.

A major complaint in recent months has been the difference
between the level of emissions detected during laboratory
testing and "real-world" driving.

"The gap between emissions detected in test conditions and
those detected in the real world (is) significant," committee
chairwoman Louise Ellman, a lawmaker with the opposition Labour
party, said in a statement on Monday. "The testing procedure is
clearly inadequate."

Critics, including some members of the European parliament,
have also focused on the current system of different national
bodies holding powers to approve vehicles, with calls for a
single European entity.

VW has been making slow progress in finding out who had
knowledge of the rigging of diesel emissions tests after the
manipulations became public in the United States, and later
admitted to understating carbon dioxide emissions and fuel
consumption in Europe.

Europe's biggest automaker has said around 1.2 million
vehicles in Britain have been affected by the scandal.

Ellman said compromise plans agreed by EU countries to allow
vehicles to carry on emitting more than twice agreed pollution
limits had been "criticised for giving too much leeway to motor
manufacturers."

"It is essential to examine these allegations and to ensure
that the government and EU take action to restore public
confidence," she said.
(Editing by Kate Holton and David Holmes)